Pictures of the Past

 Some years ago, I was cleaning out drawers in what once had been my daughter's bedroom when she and her children moved in with me at her divorce time.  I found three rolls of exposed 35mm film in one of the drawers.  One of the rolls was sealed up and said something like "Your negatives are in this roll."  The other two were mysteries.  I never had a 35mm camera, so I figured the film had to be my daughter's, but they'd been around so long, no one had any idea what could be on them.  In fact, it had been SO long that digital cameras had taken over the world, making developing film almost an ancient process.  

I put those rolls on a bedroom shelf to remind myself to have them developed--but never seemed to get around to it.  I dusted around those rolls for even more years until I decided to put them in my living space to remind myself even MORE to take them to be processed.  FINALLY, on July 23rd, I took them to the local drug store that has a whole department for pictures (Walgreens), to be send away for processing.  I was told it would take two to three weeks to get them back.  After a number of confusing phone calls to/from Walgreens thereafter, one roll of film came back.  The other was problematic.  (More about that later.)

Out of a roll of 24 pictures, only 6 or 8 were printed.  Thank God, the photos were dated by the camera.  It was only by super-sleuthing with those dates and the appearance of my grandchildren and the picture backgrounds that I was able to determine what was going on when they were taken.  First of all, the pictures were NOT good.  They came from obviously old film dating back to late 2005 and early 2006.  The 2005 ones were of a just-post-Christmas visit to my sister Shari and Roger's in Springfield, IL, with my daughter and grandchildren.  The 2006 ones were a scant three weeks later, taken at the Bereavement Meal in Streator, IL, at the Leslie G. Woods American Legion Post, for our brother who had died suddenly.  Again, not good pictures, but they are the ONLY pictures I have of the event.  Can't pitch them!  

After several more calls to/from Walgreens, it seems that the second roll of film had been lost or overlooked.  The computer showed "processing" for weeks and weeks.  Finally, they came in.  The guy on the phone advised me that I should look at the pictures before paying for them, since the package had a price tag of $57, yet when they rang it up on the register, it said $14-something.  I glanced at the pictures before purchasing.  O.M.G!  They were wedding photos from the year 2000!  My daughter's wedding to Nathan, the father of my grandchildren!  

The first four pictures were of a track meet featuring an award-adorned young man that I didn't recognize.  I saw him acting as an usher at the wedding in another picture, so figured it had to be family on the groom's side (Ken), I believe.  His father Frank (Mother of the Groom's brother) did all of the wedding photos, so I'm thinking that he started a roll with a track meet with his son, and finished that particular roll with his nephew's wedding.  Since most of the pictures featured the bride and her family (my side), he just gave her the whole roll of film, which just sat for 21 years!

There was my beautiful daughter.  There was her half-brother Eric walking Grandma McNary down the aisle.  Then Mother of the Bride.  There was Cousin Ken walking the Mother of the Groom down the aisle.  There was the bride's father walking her down the aisle.  Pictures of the bride with Mom alone; pictures of bride and biological parents; pictures of bride with Dad and stepmother.  Pictures of the past.  I was younger and thinner with more-and-darker hair, but seeing those pictures just reminded me of the impermanence of life.  

The marriage didn't last, but the legacy did.  I am still married to the groom's family.  The photographer, Frank, passed awhile ago.  The bride's grandmother is no longer with us.  The bride's half-brother sadly died of cancer in his 40s, and the step-mother just this year.  I consider these pictures as treasures...not because of the marriage, but because of family.  Someday soon, I will also be just one of the memories.  Rejoice in what you have while you still have it!